Roller for ironing machines



Aug. 4, 1953 c. c. SCHEELE ROLLER FOR IRONING MACHINES Filed Aug. 18. 1948 'INVENTUR CHARLES E. EEHEELE ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 4, 1953 ROLLER FOR IRON ING MACHINES Charles C. Scheele, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Easy Washing Machine Corporation, Syracuse,

Y., a corporation of Delaware vApplication August 18, 1948, Serial No; 44,889

1 Claim. (Cl. 29-128) pressing is effected between an ironing roll having a circular cushion therearound and an ironing head, the cushion has usually been composed of multiple layers of fabric such as flannel, felt or similar material wrapped around a cylindrical metal'roll, the fabric cushion having thickness'and adapted to. provide a yielding cover for the roll such that uniform pressure is imparted upon the fabrics being ironed against the ironing surface. Such cushion material becomes compacted and compressed in time, loses its resiliency and yielding ability, and requires replacement, and is in itself a poor heat conductor so that ironing temperatures vary as an ironin period progresses.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an ironing cushion roll in which a resilient pad is employed, the same being so constructed and arranged as to provide for ventilation and cooling.

Another object of the invention is to provide a resilient cushion roll which shall have a long resilient life and afiord uniform pressure for ironing purposes against the ironing head.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cushion roll which is economical to fabricate and upon which a relatively thin fabric cover may be placed to provide a garment receiving surface backed by a resilient roll which will not become compacted and lose its resiliency.

The above and other novel features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanyin drawings. It is expressly understood that the drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claim.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ironing machine having a roll incorporating the structure of the invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of such roll with the fabric shown in section; and

Figure 3 is a longitudinal fragmentary section taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in Figure 1 an ironing table In having thereon a drive head 12 from which is supported an ironing roll l4 and ironing head I6. As is usual in such ironing machines-the ironing roll M may be rotated at a relatively slow rate of speed at will, and the ironing head I6 is brought into pressing engagement therewith at will. While the arrangement shown is that of an ironing roll'in which the work is fed into pressing relation between the roll and ironing head at the top thereof, it will readily appear'that the invention is applicable to a reversely rotating roll having the ironing head located in the front or wherever desired.

The roll consists of a support shaft l8 journaledin the drive head l2 and upon which are mounted end support disks 20 and 22 having ventilating apertures 23 carrying a cylindrical, preferably metallic, shell 24. The structure thus described provides a mandrel upon which it has been customary to place multiple layers of fabric to build up a yielding cushion of requisite thickness. In accordance with the present invention,

there is provided upon the cylindrical mandrel 24 a sleeve 26 of rubber or rubber-like material of a resiliency suitable to provide a proper yield when pressure. of the ironing head is applied thereto.

' The rubber, sleeve, in order to improve its resiliency and also to provide ventilation and coolin thereof, is formed with a multiplicity of substantially elementally extending internal grooves or slots .28 which extend from one end of the sleeve to the other upon the internal surface thereof. The grooves form in combinationwith the cylindrical mandrel 24 substantially'elemental passages which are compressed in cross-section when subjected to the pressure of the ironing head. It will be seen that when the rubber-like sleeve, which is preferably impervious to moisture is subjected to the pressure of the ironing head, such grooves are compressed as at 28', and the air contained therein is in part driven longitudinally of the roll and a large portion thereof expelled to atmosphere during the compression stage, and that upon relief of the pressure of the ironing head, such grooves again expand, drawing in cool air to provide a cooling effect.

The resilient sleeve in practice may be covered with one or more layers of muslin or other suitable material 3! to provide a fabric surface for receiving garments and other items to be ironed, and if desired, such fabric may be wrapped around the drum one or two turns and secured thereto by draw strings such as 30 and 32 arranged in hems 34 and 36 extending along the edge of the fabric cover. It will be understood, however, that the fabric may be secured by other means upon form operating temperature level. It will be observed that the cooling action resulting from the expulsion of air from the elemental channels is active when the ironing head is actually in pressure engagement with the roll, and deformation of the resilient sleeve is taking place.

The sleeve may be provided with a plurality of radial. apertures 38 leading from the roll cover to metal support sleeve, which may in turn be perforated as at 453. By such construction, steam is vented into the center of the roll and pro"- vides additional circulation and cooling effect, as well as providing more uniform ironing effect along the entire length of the roll. The center of the shell 24 is ventilated by the apertures 23, and if desired, a fan or blower may be incor .porated .to provide increased effect as, for example, in Litle Patent 2,319,416.

The rubber or rubber-like sleeve, while subjected to relatively high temperatures of the ironing head, is in part protected from the ex treme temperatures thereof by the vaporization of the water or moisture in the garments being ironed. Additionally, the ventilation effect of the open ended corrugations or grooves tends to keep the temperature from rising beyond that which would be deleterious to the rubber or rubber-like compound selected. Resilience in the structure shown is dependent upon the physical properties of hte rubber lik'e material selected or its durometer hardness, rather than upon closed air cells as would be the case if sponge rubber were to be employed. Any closed air cells would be subject to pressure and expansion increase with heat, whereas the rubber compound utilized for the sleeve of the present invention will prefer-ably not be of cellular structure, ex :4

cent for such grooves as are open to the venti lating effects set forth. It will readily appear that should the grooves 28 be arranged spirally 4 instead of elementally, the 'deformation of each groove would progressively occur from one end to the other, and cause actual flow of air from one end to the other as the roll turned, with the head in pressing engagement therewith.

Although a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the inventien is not limited thereto. A's various changes in the construction and arrangement may be made without departihg from the spirit of the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, reference will be had to the appended claim for a definition of the limits of the invention.

what is claimed is in as ironing machine, an ironing roll comprising, in combination, a circular cross section cylindrical rigid metal-supporting sleeve having an exterior cylindrical surface, a resilient cylindrical sleeve superimposed thereover composed of resilient solid rubber free of closed air cells, said resilient sleeve being elongated and having on its inner surface a plurality of relatively deep "ele mentally extending open ended grooves closely and uniformly spaced circumferentially of the rubber sleeve, and forming with said rigid sleeve open ended continuous passages extending the length of said resilient sleeve, the thickness 'of said resilient sleeve being substantially double the depth of said grooves, said rubber sleeve having a circular cylindrical outer surface and having a plurality of radial apertures extending from the outer surface to said grooves, and a fabric cover wrapped about said rubber sleeve.

CHARLES C. SCHEELE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS:

Number Name Date 894,458 Oldfield July'2'8, 1903 1,468,557 Cline Sept. 18, 1923 1,681,965 Zeidler Aug. "28, 1928 1,828,136 Friedlander Got-20, 1931 1,833,461 Grupe Nov. 1931 l,9 26, 803 Dayton a l -4 Sept. 12, 1933 1,992,368 Geldhof Feb. 26, 193 5 2,217,552 Horton Oct. 8, 194?) FOREIGN PATENTS Num er country Date 612,410 Ffal'lo July 31, 1926 

